


the piano has been drinking, not me

by blacktiewhitenoise



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-30
Updated: 2014-08-07
Packaged: 2018-02-11 01:32:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2048178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blacktiewhitenoise/pseuds/blacktiewhitenoise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermann Gottlieb is a piano teacher. Newt decides to take piano lessons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. everywhere i go it rains on me

Newt let out a small, nervous breath before knocking on the door, hands retreating back into his jacket pockets the moment footsteps could be heard approaching the door. It was cold. The grey skies overhead loomed with the promise of rain, sharp cracks of thunder sounding in the distance followed by quick flashes of lightning, and Newt knew that it was going to be a miserable walk to his job.

It was an unfortunate day for the transmission on his Rav 4 to go out.

Unfortunate, but completely and totally his luck. He should have predicted it.

He realized that he was frowning severely just as the door opened, and he hoped he didn't look _too_ unfriendly as the man's eyes swept over him. “Newton Geiszler, I presume?” His voice was distinctly British and he was younger than Newt had been expecting, dressed in slacks with a white dress shirt underneath his wool sweater vest. He looked peeved to have been kept waiting and Newt immediately felt bad.

“Yeah, um.” Newt cleared his throat because the disapproving look was not what he'd been hoping for. “I'm really sorry that I'm late. My car broke down this morning and I've been behind all day, I swear it's not gonna happen again.”

“I'll hold you to that, Mr. Geiszler.”

“Oh, please, call me Newt.”

The man stared at Newt for a moment, his gaze appraising, before shifting his weight more heavily onto his cane. “Yes, well. Do not make a habit of arriving late. I have other students and I won't extend these sessions past four o'clock.”

“Understood.” Newt agreed easily, offering a reassuring smile.

“Good. Now,” The man opened the door wider to allow Newt to step inside. “Let's not waste any more time. Do come inside before it starts raining.”

“So do I just call you Hermann? Gottlieb? G-Man?” Newt questioned. He'd been planning on addressing the guy as ' _Mr. Gottlieb_ ' but that was when he'd still been imagining a cute little old man, not someone around his age. Though still very cute, in a scholarly sort of way. 

“Anything except the latter.” Hermann answered with a small frown, leading the way into the living room. It was surprisingly roomy for an apartment, even with the upright piano pressed against the main wall, and few personal items were on display. “Tell me, what is your interest in learning piano?”

“The usual, I guess? I mean, y'know. I know how to play guitar and I can find my way around the fingerboard of a violin but I'm useless at piano. Which is sad because I _own_ one. I guess I just got tired of plunking around with the keys and I can't get rid of it because it was a gift from my grandmother, so I figured I'd take lessons so it wouldn't just sit in the corner of my apartment gathering dust.”

“As good a reason as any, I suppose. Since you're already a musician, I take it you can read music?”

“Not _well_ , but I can do it.”

“Alright. We'll begin with scales.”

 

* * *

 

By the time their session ended Newt was wishing for longer fingers, tendons feeling over-stretched as he followed Hermann to the door. He flexed his hands as he shouldered his messenger bag, stowing the simple sheet music Hermann had given him into the front pocket.

“I would suggest practicing scales for at least ten minutes a day, since you have a piano at home.” Hermann said as his long fingers curled around the door knob. His hands were certainly perfect for piano, long and graceful and so very different from Newt's own hands with painted black nails. Teaching suited him somehow. As he pulled the door open they both came face to face with the downpour that was drenching the parking lot, putting a grimace on Newt's face as he watched water stream off the parked cars.

“Well, shit.” He muttered, pulling his jacket tighter as he mentally prepared to venture out into the elements. 

“Let me find you an umbrella.” Hermann responded dryly, speaking as though it was an incredibly taxing request. He ducked into a doorway before emerging once more with an umbrella designed to look like Van Gogh's “ _Starry Night_ ”, handing it to Newt with a serious look. “I expect this umbrella to be in the same condition as it is right now when you return it to me next week.”

“No problemo, dude. I appreciate it.”

“Right. You might look into getting your car fixed, Newton. I'd recommend Hansen's on 12th Street, tell them I sent you and they'll give you a discount.”

“Yeah, I'll definitely consider that. Thank you.”

"If it helps you arrive on time to your lessons, I'm happy to help."

 

* * *

 

Newt made his way down the concrete steps that led to the basement floor of the building that Devin's Music Stop called home, boots splashing through the small puddles. He shook out the umbrella before ducking inside, practically drenched despite the protection the umbrella provided. The smell of incense wafted through the shop, strong but not overpowering, and Newt nodded to Tendo as he ducked behind the counter stowed the umbrella under the counter. “Slow day?” He asked because Tendo was clearly stoned, plate of brownies sitting on the counter behind him with a folded back tin foil wrapper and a sticky note that said “ _employee consumption only :)_ ”.

“No more than usual,” Tendo remarked. He scrolled through a Craigslist page of instruments for sale with a brief glace over his shoulder at Newt, taking in the shorter man's appearance. “You look like a drowned rat.”

“Wow, thanks.”

“A very handsome drowned rat, so stop with the look. You had piano lessons today, right? How was that?”

Newt rolled his eyes, shrugging out of his jacket and reaching for one of the brownies because why the fuck not. Most of the people who wandered into the shop were stoned anyway, and if they weren't they were there to buy music that they'd get stoned to later so it's not like it was _that_ irresponsible. “I'm not sure. The guy seems sort of...I dunno, serious. He's sorta cute but he's also sorta terrifying and he loaned me an umbrella but he also didn't smile. Like, at all. So I can't tell if we actually got along or not.”

“But on the bright side, he wasn't a serial killer, right? That's always a bonus.”

“Dunno if we can rule that out yet but thanks for the positive thinking, dude.” Newt said with a chuckle, sitting on the stool that had once been made out of leather but was now more Duct Tape than anything, stuffing poking out between silver strips. 

 

 


	2. we're all mad here

Hansen's Automotive Repair was a small garage with three bays and a sign that proudly proclaimed them as a family-owned business, right beneath the cartoonish bulldog head that gripped a wrench in its mouth. The scents of oil and metal were heavy in the air as Newt thanked the tow truck driver, watching him drive away before finding his way into the main office. The man behind the counter was quite a bit older than Newt with scruff on his chin and a serious look about him, though he smiled when Newt entered. “What can I do for you today?” He asked, thick Australian accent taking Newt off guard. The nametag on his uniform read ' _Hercules_ '.

“Hey. I have that Rav4 out there and uh, I think the transmission went out but I'm not an expert so I wouldn't know. All I know is that I can't drive it.” Newt forward with his elbows on the counter, watching as Hercules plucked a clipboard from the wall with grease-stained hands. “Hermann Gottlieb recommended that I bring it here.”

“Alright, we'll see what we can do to help you out.” Hercules smiled widely. “Let's go take a look.” He tucked the clipboard underneath his arm, rounding the counter and leading the way outside to where Newt's car sat in the parking lot. “Automatic?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

“Uh well, I started it the other morning, put it in drive, and there was sort of a...” Newt tried to imitate the clunking noise that had come from the engine, almost surprised when the mechanic nodded in understanding. “And that was it.”

Hercules held his hand out, stained palm rough and calloused, and Newt pulled his keys from his pocket and handed them over. “Unfortunately,” Hercules began, unlocking the car and popping the hood. “We get that a lot with automatic transmissions. They give out a lot quicker than the manual transmissions, and they never give you any warning. S'why I recommend manual transmissions whenever I can; they're more reliable.”

“I'll definitely keep that in mind next time I'm planning on buying a car.”

Hercules jotted a few things down on the clipboard as he examined the internal components on the car, tapping his knuckles on a part every so often to determine what shape they were in. Newt watched him almost awkwardly, squinting at the midday sun. “Good news is, she's in great shape otherwise. This transmission's definitely gonna need to be replaced, however. Hey, Mako!” The mechanic shouted over his shoulder, and Newt glanced over to one of the bays just as a woman emerged from underneath an old Chevrolet, wiping her hands on her cargo pants that already had countless stains. She had a streak of oil on her cheek and a bandana tied around her hair, smiling as she jogged over.

“Yeah?”

“Do you know if we have any '98 Rav transmissions in stock?”

“You know, I think we might. Do you want me to go check?”

“I'd appreciate it.” Hercules turned back to Newt, frowning slightly as he looked down at the clipboard. “The most obvious solution is to, of course, take out the old transmission and put a new one in but that's going to run you about fifteen hundred, even with the discount.”

Newt made a face because that was a lot. “Okay. Are there any other options?” He asked hopefully, glancing wistfully over at his car. He could afford the fix if it came down to it, but just barely.

“You're only other option would be to buy another car but that would be _at least_ fifteen hundred, if you can find a good deal.”

“Raleigh's selling his Jeep.” Mako supplied as she approached the pair of men with a metal part in her hands. “Two thousand, and it runs great.”

 

* * *

 

Raleigh Becket was a tall guy with sandy hair and a genuine smile, speaking with an ambiguous accent as he described the pros and cons of the brown Jeep sitting in his driveway. “Why do you want to sell it?” Newt asked, appraising the trunk space.

“It was my brother's.” Raleigh started, voice hitching on the final syllable. He scratched the back of his neck with a look down at the ground before continuing. “He, uh—he died a few months ago and the Jeep's just been sitting here ever since. I had Mako do some tune-ups a couple days ago, and the oil's been changed so there's nothing you'd really need to worry about.”

Newt was almost thankful for the easy segue into another subject, much preferring not to linger on the loss of a stranger because he wasn't exactly the greatest at conversations that required emotions, but he offered his most sympathetic smile nonetheless. “So does it come with the CD player or...?” He questioned after a brief silence, motioning to the dashboard.

Raleigh let out a breathy chuckle, modding his head. “Yeah, it does.”

“Cool, cool.” Newt swept one last appraising gaze over the Jeep, taking a moment to be indecisive. And rightfully so, he felt. Buying a car was sort of a big deal, but Herc (as the mechanic had corrected Newt with an amiable smile) _had_ recommended manual transmissions and Newt certainly didn't want to drop fifteen hundred dollars to fix the Rav, only to have to repeat the whole experience again later. Thanks, but no thanks. “Can I have a day or so to think it over?” He asked finally.

“Absolutely.” Raleigh said easily. He rummaged around in the pocket of his jeans before pulling out a scrap of paper and a carpenter's pencil, scribbling something before holding it out to Newt. “Here's my number, just call when you've made up your mind. I haven't advertised it yet so you don't need to worry about someone else buying it before then.”

“Thanks a lot, dude.” Newt replied with a smile, reading over the number once before stowing the scrap of paper in his pocket.

 

* * *

 

Newt decided to buy the Jeep.

It was the CD player that sold him, truly.

He'd just driven home from getting all the paperwork sorted out when his phone rang, and he cut the engine before fishing it out of his jacket pocket. “Yello?”

“Hi Newton, it's Mako. Raleigh and I were wondering if you wanted to come out for drinks tonight.”

“Uhh sure, that sounds great!”

“Terrific, I'll text you the details okay?”

“Okay.”

“Great, I'll talk to you tonight!” The line clicked, letting Newt know that the call had been ended and he smiled slightly to himself because it had been a long time since he'd been invited for drinks. He hoped, though, that he wasn't going to end up being the third wheel because even though he couldn't be sure whether Mako and Raleigh were together, they seemed close.

He slid his hand across the steering wheel once before heading inside to take a shower.

 

* * *

 

Newt discovered the group of people almost as soon as he stepped foot into the bar. It wasn't very difficult, especially with the massive bearded man sitting with them, and he squeezed through the crowd to get to the table.

“Newt! I'm glad you could make it.” Raleigh said in greeting, holding his hand out for Newt to shake.

“Thanks for inviting me, dude.” Newt responded with a smile that verged on awkward, eyes flicking across the people he didn't know as he took a seat next to Herc. The bearded man had his arm around the shoulders of a smaller, but equally terrifying woman with the reddest lips he'd ever seen and a guy with dark brown hair that looked to be about Raleigh's age was sitting on the other side of Herc.

But it was actually surprisingly easy to fall into conversation with everyone. He learned that Raleigh was in construction and that Chuck (Herc's son, co-owner of Hansen's Automotive Repair) was going to community college to get a business degree. He learned that Mako, like him, was a huge movie nerd who could also beat the shit out of pretty much anyone if she put her mind to it.

Though Newt still couldn't tell if she and Raleigh were a couple.

He had honestly not expected to enjoy himself so much.

He'd been there for almost an hour when Mako turned to greet someone else, and Newt followed her gaze to where Hermann was ambling over to their table. “Sorry I'm late, I—oh, I didn't expect to see _you_ here, Mr. Geiszler.”

Newt couldn't tell if Hermann was disappointed to see him or not, but he offered a smile nonetheless. “Mako and Raleigh invited me. I bought his Jeep.”

“I'm glad to hear you sorted out your vehicle predicament.” Hermann sat down beside Aleksis (or was his name Sasha? Newt honestly had no clue), resting his cane against the edge of the table. He didn't even acknowledge Newt after that, eyes avoiding him completely, and Newt had no idea what the fuck _that_ was about but he couldn't help feel a bit like he was unwelcome.

He sat there for another half hour before making up an excuse to leave, thanking Mako and Raleigh once again for inviting him. Maybe Hermann thought he was crossing some sort of boundary? Or perhaps he was offended that Newt got along so well with the people who were so obviously his close friends? Whatever it was, Newt didn't really want to deal with it.

If Hermann preferred a professional relationship, that was no problem.

No problem at all.

Newt wasn't even bothered. Really.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This should come together with a bit more cohesion in the next couple chapters--for now I just really wanted to introduce the other characters and flesh out the AU part. I promise Hermann won't be this antagonistic the entire time! :)
> 
> I really love the idea of Herc owning a garage with a reluctant Chuck, and obviously Mako would be such a kick ass mechanic. I tried to do as much research as I could, and I had my friend ask their mechanic brother about transmissions. Turns out, I chose one of the most expensive parts to replace oops. But I worked it into the plot, so no worries.
> 
> Constructive criticism is welcome.

**Author's Note:**

> Every chapter is probably gonna be loosely based off a Tom Waits song but you don't necessarily need to know who Tom Waits is to read this fic.  
> However, I highly recommend his music because he's brilliant.


End file.
